The Loudest Silence
by DuckButtFangirl
Summary: With Konoha on the edge of war, Naruto was sent to aid an ally in a different fight, and went missing in battle. His friends are sent to find him, but what they didn't expect was to find him deaf, mute, and silent as the grave. Whoever the fool was who said "silence is golden" was sorely mistaken. STRONG Naruto
1. Prologue HighHo Its off to War He Go

_With Konoha on the edge of war, Naruto was sent to aid an ally in a different fight, and went missing in battle. His friends are sent to find him, but what they didn't expect was to find him deaf, mute, and silent as the grave. _

_Printed Words_

"Talking"

"_Thoughts"_

* * *

**The Loudest Silence**

**Prologue**

* * *

Tsunade looked down with distain at the envelope on her desk.

Another damn war.

It was a minor thing…between two tiny clans that hardly had more than a few select ninja to their name. But of course, the Sasaki clan, originating from Konoha, asked for their mother village, to whom they claimed undying loyalty, for their assistance.

Normally, this wouldn't have been such an issue. The problem that now faced Tsunade was that Konoha was on the verge of a war itself.

At the end of the Fourth Shinobi War, things between the Hidden Village of the Leaf and the Hidden Village of the Rock were not pleasant. Carless things were said between the two villages' ninja, and despite working flawlessly together to take down the menace of Akatsuki, relations had not improved.

Tsunade was playing a political dance with the Third Tsuchikage, a push here, a compromise there. It was her job to cater to the people's wishes as well as their needs. And what the people wanted was _not_ what they needed.

Tension was high, and the threat of another war, so soon after the end of the last one, was literally on the horizon. There was a strong possibility that there would be a surprise attack on Konoha, officially starting the war, which was why she couldn't spare groups of ninjas on some petty feud between two clans nearly forgotten by the ninja world.

But then again, the Sasaki clan had given essential aid in the both the Third and Fourth Shinobi war to Konoha. They had made large sacrifices that in the end were only harmful to their clan, and she knew that it was wrong of her to ignore their plea for help the one time they had ever asked for it.

Her hands were tied in both directions, and she couldn't figure out a good solution.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of orange, accompanied with the crunching noises of an apple being eaten.

"Naruto, I told you to use the damn door!" she snapped, not even bothering to look up at the young blond haired man. "And I swear, gaki, if you drop even a tiny bit of that apple on these papers, I'll hit you so hard, you'll be eating your ramen through a straw!"

Brilliantly blue eyes crinkled slightly with the broad smile stretching up the corners of his mouth. He knew better than to take her words seriously.

"Jeez, ya old hag, what's got you're adult diapers in a bunch?" he jeered as he sat down unconcernedly on the corner of the Hokage's desk.

"Don't call me old, you little brat!" she said, shoving him off the desk so he wouldn't see the small smile on her face.

"Ah! You're so mean to me, Baa-chan!" Naruto said dramatically as he picked himself off the floor, dusting off his pants as part of the show. Both ninja knew he had let himself be pushed to the floor. He wasn't the next candidate for Hokage for nothing.

"What did you want, anyways?" Tsunade humored him, secretly glad for the excuse to take her mind off the Sasaki clan's problem.

"Eh…nothing really in particular…" he said nonchalantly, flicking a piece of imaginary dirt from his nails. "Just thought I'd pop in, see how you were…what kind of stuff you where up to…"

"Naruto, I'm not planning a surprise coronation to induct you as Hokage," Tsunade said flatly, knowing the meaning behind his words all too well.

"Aw come on, Baa-chan! You know I'm ready for it!" he said, unable to hide the slight whine in his voice.

Tsunade turned her head away from him, pretending to search for something important so she wouldn't have to look at him. Yes. She knew that he was well ready for the job. How could he not be? He was the reason the Fourth Shinobi War had ended as quickly as it had. The blond jinchuriki had fought the man who claimed to be Uchiha Madara single handedly, bringing an end to the Akatsuki and the one who wished to enslave the entire world for his warped idea of "peace."

Naruto had become known as the hero of the shinobi world. Young children could be heard in the street, calling out that one day they'd be a strong ninja just like their "Naruto Nii-sama!" The older generations who had once glared at the boy with cold eyes and distain in their hearts now looked at him with admiration, guilt, and respect for the child who had grown, loving the village and it's people despite their scorn. He had succeeded in what everyone thought was impossible, he'd brought the youngest Uchiha back to his right state of mind, and back to the village. His reputation had surpassed even the Yondaime's, and Tsunade was certain that there was none who could beat him in battle, especially if any of Naruto's special ones were on the line.

In truth, Naruto was already the Rokudaime Hokage. There were no other contenders for the job, and the whiskered male already did half of the work for the Godaime, claiming that he wanted to "train" for the day when the coveted hat was his. The only thing left was for Tsunade to officially give up her title of Hokage, and pass it to Naruto.

He was ready for it, and Tsunade knew it. But a part of her, the part that secretly swelled with pride every time her successor called her his Baa-chan, that part was reluctant to do it. Because as soon as she did, that little boy she had bet could never learn the rasengan would be all grown up, and she couldn't bring herself to let go.

"You're barely eighteen!" she scowled, as she rummaged through the file cabinet. "You should enjoy being young while you can. This job sucks the life right out of you, trust me I know!"

"Aw…you just want to keep the hat!" Naruto pouted, tossing the apple core over his shoulder and into the trash bin with out even glancing backwards.

"Since you're so eager, why don't you take a look at this and tell me what you think," she said, shutting the file cabinet and motioning to the letter from the Sasaki clan on her desk.

Naruto picked up the letter, a curious gleam in his eye, and Tsunade could practically see the wheels turning in the blond covered head as his eyes scanned the paper, dissecting the information.

"The Sasaki clan…so they've finally gone to war against the Fujiwara clan, have they?" he wondered aloud. "I can see your problem," he said, a frown marring the tanned skin. Naruto went around the desk and plopped into a chair, lifting his feet onto the desk as he scratched absently at the back of his head.

"You can't very well send out squads…we need everyone here while the tension's so high. But then again, ignoring the Sasaki clan would be wrong…not to mention it would leave their loyalty up for grabs for the other villages, and Konoha really doesn't need any more enemies at the moment," Naruto paused, raising his eyes to Tsunade who nodded, confirming the information.

"Hm," Naruto leaned back in the chair, calculating eyes trained on the ceiling. Suddenly the legs of his chair fell back to the ground with a thud as Naruto put his feet back on the ground. "Right!" he said triumphantly, his face glowing with the same look as a child with a master prank in mind. "Just send me!"

Tsunade looked at him for a moment…blinked…and–

"You can't be serious, gaki!" she snorted, looking at him as though he had gone mad.

"Oh, but I am!" he said gleefully, pushing out of the chair to come back around to the Hokage's side. "Listen, you can't send out a squad, sending only one would look like we didn't really care. Then again, sending out two or three squads would attract too much attention, and we'd be stupid if we assumed the Tsuchikage didn't have spies around…it just might be the thing he's been waiting for to launch an attack. If you send me by myself, I can sneak around any Iwa nin, and get to the Sasaki clan in a snap! I'm strong enough to aid the battle, and if the Fujiwara know I'm there, they probably won't be as inclined to continue the war anyway! Who knows? It might even improve the relation between Konoha and Sasaki, sending the future Rokudaime definitely isn't something to complain about!"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes as she thought through the plan, and though she hated to admit it, it really did make quite a lot of sense. What Naruto had said about his presence being enough to deter the Fujiwara clan wasn't his being arrogant, it was a solid fact. People were reluctant to go at odds with Konoha because they had seen first hand the power of the Hidden Leaf's own jinchuriki. And it wasn't something to laugh at.

But even so…sending him in alone? Sure, the brat could make enough kage bushin to form an army of his own, but she still had a gut wrenching fear in the pit of her stomach that made her reluctant to send the boy off so unprotected.

"Naruto, I can't send you _alone_ into a battle!" Tsunade growled softly, more to herself than to the blond standing with confidence in front of her.

"Tsunade Baa-chan, it's the only choice you've got!" Naruto said seriously, and the pitiful truth of the situation was, Tsunade knew he was right.

The Sannin-turned-Hokage sat back with a sigh into her chair, carefully looking over the boy who had continually done the impossible, including worming his way into her dead heart.

"Come on…have faith in me!" he pleaded, his clear blue eyes boring into hers, and Tsunade's resolve broke.

"Fine," she grumbled unhappily as that brilliant smile stretched across his face again. "But I swear, you'd better be careful, gaki!"

"Don't even sweat it!" Naruto cheered, pumping a fist into the air. "I'll leave now, and be back in Konoha before you know it, datebayo!"

Tsunade watched with worried eyes as the remarkable young man leapt through the window. For a moment, she allowed herself to get lost in the memories of the first time they'd met, and small smile lifted the corners of her tired face. Maybe…when the gaki got back…she'd finally be ready to give him his ultimate dream.

But as the sun began to set in the sky, and she was unable to tear her gaze away from the point he had disappeared, Tsunade couldn't help the nauseous feeling in her gut that told her she had just made a big mistake.

* * *

_**Thanks for reading! If I get at least 5 reviews, I'll update by Wednesday!**_

_**lol sorry I'm a review whore ^-^**__**  
**_

_**(btw I accept flames...but that doesn't mean I'll always take them lying down!)  
**_


	2. Chapter 1 The Letter

_With Konoha on the edge of war, Naruto was sent to aid an ally in a different fight, and went missing in battle. His friends are sent to find him, but what they didn't expect was to find him deaf, mute, and silent as the grave. Whoever the fool was who said "silence is golden" was sorely mistaken._

_Printed Words_

"Talking"

"_Thoughts"_

* * *

**The Loudest Silence**

**Chapter One**

* * *

When a month had gone by without word from either the Sasaki clan or Naruto, horrific thoughts started to plague Tsunade's mind. For a short time, she was able to chalk up the lack of correspondence with the distance it took to travel to the Sasaki clan's territory, and the fact that they were trying to keep the blond jinchuriki's absences from Konoha as under wraps as they could. But as a few days turned into a week, and a week into four, Tsunade had begun to fear the worst.

Naruto could be in critical condition somewhere, lying in a hospital bed with no hope for the proper medical treatment. He could be trapped under the ruble and debree of some collapsed structure, immobile and praying for rescue that might never come. Or worse, he could have been captured by the Iwa nin, and the Tsuchikage was just waiting for the right moment to use him as a hostage against the Hokage who obviously held the boy in high regard.

But of all the scenarios and possibilities than ran through her mind, of all the horrors that kept her from sleeping peacefully at night…_this…_

She had never even imagined _this._

Her hand clenched in grief around the letter she had received just an hour ago, and unwanted tears poured freely from behind closed eyes. That damned letter…that wretched piece of paper that ended her world with the use of only a few, simple words.

_Hokage-sama,_

_The Sasaki clan wishes to extend their gratitude towards Konoha, without whom the victory we had against the Fujiwara clan would not have been possible. However, it is with our deepest regret and sorrow that we report the death of Uzumaki Naruto-sama, the brilliant shinobi sent to aid us in our hour of need._

_Three days after entering the battle, his body glowing with a golden fire, our victory seemed imminent, but as the opposing shinobi clan began their retreat, a last attack was fired towards the safehouses where the women and children were hidding. In an act of nobility and self-sacrifice, Uzumaki-sama used himself as a shield to protect hundreds of innocent lives, and diverted the last vicious attack against our clan._

The letter went on, filled with line after line of empty words and meaningless condolences, but they all fell on blind eyes as Tsunade couldn't even force herself to read past the second sentence.

…_the death of Uzumaki Naruto-sama…._

Dead.

Gone.

His bright blond hair that shone with a brilliance to rival the sun was now dull and lifeless. His shining blue eyes that seemed to gaze at your very soul were now nothing more than glassy windows to an empty shell. His tall, dark skinned body that brought exuberance and joy, warmth and liveliness to all he met was now cold and motionless, and a bitter reminder of the cruel master death that had stolen her most precious treasure still left to her.

A choked sob escaped past her lips, and she would have felt ashamed, but there was no one there to witness it. She had sent Shizune out to gather those closest to him. They would need to be informed.

She was still Hokage after all.

Somehow, she managed to stem the flow of tears that threatened to drown her, and unfolded the crumpled paper to attempt at reading it through once again. She nearly had to stop once she read the reason for his death. That he had died, protecting those who couldn't protect themselves, even though he didn't know them at all.

"_Only you…gaki…" _she thought to herself sadly, still in awe at how one so young could possibly have a heart so large.

She had to skim through a majority of it. She couldn't bring herself to read the continued spouts of praise and regret expressed by the leader of the Sasaki clan, and the man's repeating words only increased her anger at him for letting the boy she thought of as family die.

It wasn't until the end of the letter that anything else of the remotest importance caught her eye.

_On another matter, it seems that our enemies, the Fujiwara clan, have allied themselves with the Hidden Village of the Rock. Many of the injured and deceased we have thus far retrieved from the battlefield bore the village's symbol on their hitai-ate, and we will be more than willing to submit any or all of the surviving nin to you for questioning, as we are aware of the tension between Konoha and Iwa. _

_We have kept the information concerning the death of your successor secret from your enemies, and we have sent a group of our most skilled and able ninja to transport Uzumaki-sama's body back to the village he held so dearly in is heart. They are scheduled to arrive ten days after you receive this letter._

_Again, my deepest condolences, Hokage-sama. Please do not hesitate to ask for our assistance, we will not waste Uzumaki-sama's noble efforts. _

_Sasaki Urihara, Head of the Sasaki clan. _

Tsunade's eyes narrowed as the sadness in her heart was drowned out by a cold fury.

So…the first move had been made. Iwa had moved against Konoha, allying themselves in order to weaken Konoha's ties. It was a clever trick, subtly chipping away at their power while keeping safe by not directly attacking the main village. But they _had _attacked the main village. They were responsible for the death of the man whom all villages, including the Rock, deemed the hero of the shinobi world.

Who knows the chaos this might cause for the Tsuchikage? Certainly Gaara and the Sand would be angered, especially after Naruto had saved their Kazekage when he was so new to the job. In fact, Tsunade was fairly certain that the Leaf would have full support from the Sand if, and when the news broke out. And while she wasn't certain whether or not any of the other villages would support Konoha, she did know for a fact that they wouldn't stand with the Rock.

Tsunade was finished. She was _done_ playing this deadly game with the Tsuchikage. Oonoki had played with fire, and now, Tsunade would make sure he _burned._

But now was not the time for that. She wouldn't disrespect Naruto by skipping over this time of mourning for his friends and loved ones. His body would come in ten days, and Tsunade would be sure that the people the blond had most cared about were there to welcome him home, one last time. There would be time for making plans for war and revenge later. But for now, the village would gather as a whole, to celebrate the life and the overwhelming achievements of Konoha's number one most surprising, and most loved, ninja.

Tsunade looked down at Naruto's open file on her desk that tracked his progress as a ninja from gennin to ANBU, her eyes fixating on the picture taken when he graduated from the academy. Lifting it up, she saw a second picture underneath, and was greeted with the sight of a young Naruto, his face splattered with ridiculous face paint as he posed dramatically in front of the camera.

She let out a breathy laugh, remembering the boy who had so wanted to become Hokage.

"_You…you never reached your dream…"_ she thought to herself miserably. And suddenly, her eyes widened in realization, and she raised a horrified hand to cover her mouth. She felt shame weld up inside her, and she felt like she might be sick.

Because it was _her_ fault his dream had never come true. And with that knowledge, as tears began to pour unceremoniously down her face once again, guilt ripped the Godaime Hokage's heart in two.

* * *

_**ehhh...I promise it won't be so angsty for long XD  
**_

_**Thanks for reading! If I get at least 5 reviews for this chapter, I'll update by Friday!**_

_**lol sorry I'm a review whore ^-^**__**  
**_

_**(btw I accept flames...but that doesn't mean I'll always take them lying down!)**__**  
**_


	3. Chapter 2 He Will Be Missed

_With Konoha on the edge of war, Naruto was sent to aid an ally in a different fight, and went missing in battle. His friends are sent to find him, but what they didn't expect was to find him deaf, mute, and silent as the grave. Whatever fool said "silence is golden" was sorely mistaken. _

_Printed Words _

"Talking"

_"Thoughts"_

* * *

**The Loudest Silence**_  
_

**Chapter Two**

* * *

Shikamaru was leaning against the wall, lazily balancing a toothpick in his teeth as he casually looked around at the crowd Tsunade had gathered in a meeting room. Chouji stood next to him, crunching loudly on his ever present bag of chips, and Sakura and Ino were bickering in the back of the room as usual. It seemed the girls would never be able to give each other a rest. Kiba and Shino we there as well, standing near the center of the room. The Inuzuka's voice was far overshadowing the Aburame's as the dog lover chatted animatedly about something or other, and their third teammate, Hinata stood shyly between them, following the conversation without actually entering it.

Towards the front of the room, Rock Lee was on the ground doing one handed push-ups, counting loudly for the room to hear. The kunoichi of his team, Tenten, was perched on the window sill, carelessly twirling a kunai through her fingers with a master control as she merrily chattered away to the more reserved member of the group, Neji, who, despite looking disinterested with his arms folded across his chest, answered her long spouts of conversation with a fitting word or two.

Off to the side of the room where an old, worn looking sofa was pushed against the wall sat Iruka, his ankle crossed over his knee as he chewed nervously on his fingernails in apparent concern. Konohamaru sat next to the distracted man, excitedly showing off his recently acquired chuunin vest, despite the fact that his audience wasn't listening. A few feet away stood the jounin Kakashi, braced against the wall and orange book in hand, to engrossed in his novel to bother with any of the room's other inhabitants.

Finally Shikamaru's eyes slid to the final occupant, and the person who confirmed his suspicions as to what, or rather _whom_ in this situation, this meeting was about. Uchiha Sasuke, ever the brooding loner, stood in the corner of the room closest to the door, his face slightly hidden by shadow. Even so, Shikamaru could see the dark onyx eyes sweeping over the people in the room, no doubt analyzing reason behind such a large group of people being called by the Hokage as he was.

Shikamaru had a pretty good guess that it was about Naruto. Everyone in the room had some sort of close relationship with the blond haired ANBU, and the fact that the Uchiha was there proved it. He'd been back in the village nearly three years now, but he was still considered on probation, therefore information of importance wasn't usually granted towards him, not that he cared either way. But seeing as the loud ninja himself wasn't here, and _hadn't_ been here for the past few weeks, now that he thought about it, along with the way Iruka seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack, did not bode well. The lazy genius had the sinking feeling in his gut that whatever news the Hokage had for them, it wouldn't be good.

"Troublesome…" he muttered to himself, not bothering to explain himself when Chouji looked at him questioningly.

Suddenly, the door opened with a soft thud, and Tsunade walked swiftly towards the front of the room, followed by a silent Sizune, as all noises in the room died down almost instantly. The Godaime turned to face the room, and several eyes went wide at the sight of her.

She held her posture, tall and strong, as she stood in front of the room, her jaw set firmly. But every person's attention seemed to be drawn to the woman's eyes.

Swollen and red, it was obvious that she had been crying. But instead of trying to hide it, the glare in her eyes seemed to dare someone to chastise her for it, almost as if she was proud of having shed tears.

"What I am about to tell you is a secret that, for now, is not allowed to leave the village. Under no circumstance is this information to reach outside villages until I deem it appropriate," she said seriously, and a chill went over the room as everyone realized that something was seriously wrong.

"An important ally of Konoha requested assistance in a war against their enemies," she began, and Shikamaru could hear the muscles in her throat tightening. "Naruto was sent to aid in the battle. I received a letter this morning, revealing that as the enemy retreated, they fired a last attack at the shelters that housed the civilians and children. He died intercepting the blast in order to save them."

No one spoke. Too many were still trying to process what they had just heard. The sound of an orange paperback book hitting the floor seemed louder than cannon fire.

"…no…" a very quiet voice broke the silence. "N-no!" the same voice said, louder and more frantic this time.

Suddenly, Hinata burst forward, shy, quiet little Hinata. She snatched the letter out of the Hokage's hands, unashamed at her sudden boldness. "It c-can't be…it isn't true!" she said, her voice growing louder. "Naruto-kun isn't…he c-can't have…" he hands were shaking violently as she stared disbelievingly at the condemning words written on the paper. "…N-Naruto-kun…" she whispered, and she fell to the floor in a heap of despair, the letter landing innocently a few feet away, as if it hadn't just killed the poor girl's heart.

A shuddering gasp could be heard from the back of the room as Sakura burst into tears. Ino was there in an instant, wrapping her arms around her and allowing the pink haired girl to sob unashamedly into her shoulder, even as tears ran silently down her own face.

Suddenly, the door slammed shut, revealing that Sasuke had left, and Tsunade looked swiftly at the tearful Sizune, telling her silently to order the ANBU to follow him. She nodded in understanding and left without a sound.

Neji and Tenten both rushed to Hinata, who was in silent hysterics on the floor, letting out strangled sobs when she couldn't hold them back any longer. Neji pulled his younger cousin into a hug, smoothing her hair with a shaking hand as look of complete shock dominated his usually calm face. Tenten knelt next to her teammate's younger cousin, rubbing small circles in the crying girl's back as she angrily brushed the tears from her own eyes, but they just continued to come, faster than she could wipe them away.

Lee's hands grasped his head in incredulity, and he fell against the wall, slowly sliding down until he reached the floor as his eyes swam with sadness. Kakashi hadn't moved. His eyes were fixated, staring off into space, trying to process that his mentor's son was dead. Iruka had fisted his hands in his hair, hunched over in his seat`as cried, tears falling from his eyes and staining the floor. Konohamaru seemed to be in a state of utter denial. His wide eyes were locked on Tsunade, and he shook his head, silently begging the woman who refused to look at him to tell him that this was some sort of sick joke.

Shino had gone completely white, Kiba looked like someone had just punched him in the gut, Chouji looked like he was about to be sick, and Shikamaru's teeth clenched, snapping his toothpick in half, his mind racing with the same question on everyone's mind.

_How could Naruto be dead?_

* * *

**Soon we'll see Naruto's fate. Just have a little patience with me! I have a few points I have to get across in the next two chapters!  
**

**Thanks for reading! If I get at least five reviews for this chapter, I'll update by Sunday! **

**lol sorry I'm a review whore ^-^ **

**(btw I accept flames...but that doesn't mean I'll always take them lying down!)**

**~Ducky  
**


	4. Chapter 3 In Tortured Memory

_With Konoha on the edge of war, Naruto was sent to aid an ally in a different fight, and went missing in battle. His friends are sent to find him, but what they didn't expect was to find him deaf, mute, and silent as the grave. Whoever the fool was that said "silence is golden" was sorely mistaken._

* * *

_Printed Words _

"Talking"

_"Thoughts"/ "FlashBacks"_

* * *

**The Loudest Silence**

**Chapter Three**

* * *

The streets around him seemed to be nothing but a blur. He stormed through the village, refusing to acknowledge the outraged cries of the people who he pushed roughly past, sometimes even sending them to the ground. Or perhaps, he truly didn't notice them at all.

His head felt muddled and clouded as emotions swirled like a rampaging storm inside his dark mind. Those damn words kept echoing though his mind and he growled in frustration that he couldn't tune them out.

…_he died…he died…he died…_

But it wasn't true. It _couldn't_ be true. That blond idiot, with his loud mouth and his hyperactive nature, he _couldn't_ be dead, because…because he was _Naruto_. And Naruto wouldn't die…he wouldn't leave him here alone. He had _promised_.

He didn't even think about where he was going. His feet carried him to the place he visited more frequently than he did his own house. The dobe would be there…scarfing down cold noodles or passed out on the small bed, as he always was whenever he visited the blond at the apartments. He must have just been exhausted after he returned from his mission. The moron had gone straight home instead of reporting to Tsunade as he _should _have, which was why the old bat had jumped to conclusions like she did.

Naruto wasn't _dead_. And he was going to prove it.

Approaching the door, he banged his fist forcefully on the wood. "NARUTO!" he yelled harshly. "OPEN UP!"

Silence.

He tried again, hammering louder this time. "WAKE UP, USURATONKACHI! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"

Only the sound of his heart beating irregularly in his chest could be heard.

"DAMMIT I'LL BREAK DOWN YOUR FUCKING DOOR, DOBE!" he roared, but still there were no signs of life from the jinchuuriki's lodgings.

With a frustrated growl, he pulled back his fist, putting all his chakra into his clenching fingers, and slammed into the fragile wood, causing it to splinter into a thousand pieces.

Naruto might be pissed, but he wouldn't be paying for it.

The idiot should learn to answer his door.

Bursting into the room, his eyes roamed the small apartment feverishly, searching for that flash of familiar blond hair.

But there was none.

A cold feeling of dread began to well up, deep inside his stomach, and the words from earlier chanted louder inside his head.

…_he died...he died...he died!_

"COME OUT!" he bellowed, charging through to the bedroom. He _refused_ to give in to that damn Tsunade. How dare she say Naruto was dead! She didn't know anything! She knew _nothing_ of Naruto!_ Nothing!_

The covers had been pulled up in a messy attempt at tidying the bed up, but something was wrong. Dust clustered in the crevasses of wrinkles that lined the sheets, making it obvious, even to the untrained eye, that no one had touched the bed in at least a few weeks.

Perhaps even longer.

With a growl of frustration, he ripped the coverings clear from the mattress, as if Naruto was simply hiding beneath them.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" he cried, ripping apart the bed, going as far as to fling the mattress and frame from the wall. When this did nothing to produce the one person who still called himself his _friend_, he continued on, pulling things from there places, searching even in places that weren't logical for the shinobi that was simply _hiding_ somewhere in this apartment.

That had to be it, he thought to himself, because _Naruto wasn't dead. _He _couldn't_ be. Naruto wouldn't leave him…he had _promised_.

"…_Why won't I give up? Because I made a promise…"_

That moron's words seemed to echo through his head as he continued to tear apart the small dwelling, fresh and as heart wrenching as they had been the first time he'd heard them, three years prior.

"…_to Sakura-chan and your brother, to myself, and to the memory of the first person who ever acknowledged me as their friend…"_

The sound of the refrigerator slamming with an earth-shattering force as it hit the floor didn't even register over the sounds of his heartbeat that drowned out all noise from the outside world, forcing him to only hear the words he would never be able to forget, no matter how hard he tried.

"…_Orochimaru put his curse seal on you in the Forest of Death, and brought all your hatred to the front of your mind. But _you_ let it consume you! You let it fester and boil until it was the only thing you could see, even after Itachi spent his last moments to free you from its hold!"_

A strangled roar that came out more like a sob ripped from his throat as he grabbed hold of the stand-alone stove, hurling it to meet the same fate as the broken appliance on the floor.

"…_Come back to yourself! Stop hiding behind your revenge and your avenger mask! You don't have to live in misery for the rest of your life…you don't have to live alone…"_

He picked up a wooden chair, hurling it at the wall with all his strength. It broke apart, causing a sizable hole in the wall, but the damage didn't even register to him. Already, the other chair that he himself had often occupied, sitting across from a loud, ramen-enthusiast, was in his hands, and in the next second, it joined its partner in broken pieces on a pile of ruble.

"…_Come home, Sasuke. No matter what choices you've made up until now…none of it matters. I know the friend I knew is still in there…otherwise you would have killed me a long time ago. You don't have to make a place for yourself out of hatred anymore…you still have a place back home, in Konoha, because you're still my best friend…"_

His mind was completely gone, as he overturned the small sofa. He was too lost in the memories of that time…forced to the ground on his knees from exhaustion, surrounded by ash and charred earth; the destruction of the man who had claimed himself to be Uchiha Madara. The man who had aided Itachi the night of the Uchiha massacre, and who had attempted to betray him yet again.

The man that the dobe had just killed.

"…_and as long as I'm still alive, you'll never have to be alone again. All you have to do is grab my hand…and with that, I'll promise you that I'll never leave you to be alone, and I never break my promises…its my ninja way!"_

He could still see it…that hand that was smeared with blood, dirt, and ash, held steadily, right within his reach. He could still feel those piercing blue eyes on him…watching him with the same damn smile and kindness that only Naruto was capable of holding. He remembered, with painful clarity, how much his head was spinning, how much his gut was churning, how much his heart was hurting.

And perhaps…perhaps it had been because of his brother's last words to him…

Perhaps it had been because of the indisputable proof of his clan's betrayal he had witnessed…

Perhaps it had been because of the blond who had chased after him for years, never wavering in his mission, never giving up on bringing him to the village he had once shared with his beloved aniki and the rest of his family…

But staring at that hand…unable to force himself to meet the eyes that bore down upon him, he had taken it. Slowly, almost as if he wasn't even moving the hand himself, as if it took all of his remaining strength and will power to do it, he brought his shaking fingers up to meet the boy who had continued after him, despite everything he had ever done.

He would never forget it, that moment when his hand had barely even brushed against his former teammate's. Naruto's hand had grabbed his in a vise like grip, using the contact to pull him forward as Naruto himself fell to his knees, pulling the traitor of Konoha to him in a familiar embrace, one arm from the blond around his shoulder as his arms simply hung loosely at his side.

His knees hit the ground in the center of the demolished apartment, falling in the same way he had been on the ground that day that would always seem like yesterday to him.

"…you promised…" he heard his own voice say quietly, as if he were whispering the words to him. "You damn liar."

And even as he sat there, fully aware of the ANBU that were watching him, unseen from the shadows, the great Uchiha Sasuke cried at the loss of his best, and only, friend.

* * *

**For those of you who are caught up with the Manga…I tried to use the last chapter without being specific ^3^ sorry if I failed! Anyway...augh Kishimoto better get another chapter out soon! I'm DYING!**

**Special thanks to my new Beta, ****qurt7**** ! He'll be making sure I don't screw up too badly from now on ^-^ THANKS DUDE!**

**Thanks for reading! If I get at least five reviews for this chapter, I'll update by Tuesday! **

**lol sorry I'm a review whore ^-^ **

**And thanks for the ton of reviews I got last chapter! I really appreciated them all so much!**

**(btw I accept flames...but that doesn't mean I'll always take them lying down!)**

**~Ducky**


	5. Chapter 4 Bastard Stole My Identity!

_With Konoha on the edge of war, Naruto was sent to aid an ally in a different fight, and went missing in battle. His friends are sent to find him, but what they didn't expect was to find him deaf, mute, and silent as the grave. Whoever the fool was that said "silence is golden" was sorely mistaken._

* * *

_Printed Words _

"Talking"

_"Thoughts"/ "FlashBacks"_

* * *

**The Loudest Silence**

**Chapter Four**

* * *

It didn't take long for the news to travel through the village the next day. Word spread through the street like a forest fire, sweeping through swiftly and causing mayhem before anyone could realize, dealing irreversible damage and leaving all who heard in similar states of shock and grief.

The ranks of ninja were the first to hear. The ANBU members who stood guard in Hokage Tower were swift to pass the news of their fellow ANBU squad leader on to their colleagues. Those who had worked with and in his squad took the news hardest. More than a few of them refused to believe it until they heard it spoken from the Hokage's own tongue.

Once it leaked to the jounin, all hell really broke loose.

Genin and chuunin could be heard shouting the news in hysterics in the streets after hearing it from their jounin sensei. It was near impossible to _miss_ the news. It snaked under closed doors and slithered through to the most uninhabited places, striking everyone in the worst possible way.

Men fell into stunned silences, many pulling out bottles of sake to steady their shaking nerves.

Women's' hands flew to their mouths in horror as tears pricked at their eyes, more often than not, actually escaping, running down the sides of their faces.

Children began to sob into their mothers, and the more stubborn ran out to the playground where their Naruto-Nii-sama would so often come to see them. The adults who saw this didn't have it in their hearts to tell their tearful faces that he'd never be coming back.

A wave of depression was sweeping over Konoha, and the few who had desperately held on to the belief that it was only rumor traveling through the streets were crushed when the Hokage appeared before the entire village late that evening, confirming that the beloved blond haired ANBU was dead.

Many cries sounded from every corner of the village. Those who had once wished for nothing more than the boy's death were now racked with grief and guilt, remembering the hell they had put him through as a child.

No one smiled that day, nor the day after that. It was as if the world had suddenly turned grey.

Because the sunshine of Konoha, the one who brought a sense of security and cheerfulness even in the darkest times, was gone.

Fallen.

And most of the villagers didn't know how to cope.

Upon the Hokage's instruction, a grave was dug in the special place reserved for only the village's greatest heroes and leaders, right next to the mound that held the boy's father. The people all tried to work quickly, none stopping for even a moment lest they be consumed with fear of the future and sadness, moving to prepare everything for the funeral that would take place the day Naruto arrived home.

Ten days passed in misery.

Every person gathered near the gates of Konoha the moment the guards standing atop the great wall shouted that the ninja from the Sasaki clan were close. At the front of the crowd stood those few who were closest to Naruto, and the Godaime herself stood ahead of them all.

It was completely silent as the four ninja came through the gates, bearing the weight of a sleek coffin between them, and Naruto's special people went forward in pairs to take him.

A stone-faced Sasuke and a tearful Sakura, as his former teammates headed the line. A morose Kakashi and a silently sobbing Iruka were next. Neji walked firmly beside his cousin Hinata, who looked like she was walking towards death himself. Lee and Tenten succeeded them, followed by Kiba and Shino, Ino and Chouji, and lastly Shikamaru and Konohamaru.

The Sasaki clan nin placed the coffin on two golden poles that the two lines of people supported and turned to the Hokage. She wore the traditional Kage robes and hat, radiating a terrible power that mingled with her sorrow, and the Sasaki nin bowed respectfully to her.

With a nod of acknowledgment and thanks for bringing her gaki home, Tsunade turned and began to lead the procession to the burial sight. It was a dismal parade, a funeral march playing with a terrible beauty. A lone child wailed, and his mother's attempts to calm him were ignored, but none of the people seemed to even realize. Everyone was lost in their own memories of the village's hero. From the hateful words spoken, to the devilish pranks he had pulled in his childhood; the many times they had watching him fail, only to get right back up and succeed beyond what should have been possible, every memory was bittersweet, and a painful reminder of the one they would never see again.

All too soon, the procession reached its destination. His friends brought the coffin to the platform that would be used to lower him down into his eternal slumber and set it down carefully, as if to prevent any discomfort the lifeless body inside might feel, and they slunk back, quietly rejoining the ranks of mourners.

Tsunade stepped forward, her face despondent as she cleared her throat slightly to gain the attention of the crowd.

"Today…we lay to rest one of our own. Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto, ANBU squad leader, next in line for Rokudaime Hokage, Konoha's guardian, and hero to the rest of the shinobi world," she said fiercely, never once allowing her voice to waver. "He lived for the village, serving with all of his ability, and never once giving anything but his all for the good of Konoha and the people who call it home. He made the ultimate sacrifice. His life, for hundreds of others. For that, among countless other achievements and great acts, we gather here together to honor him, and bid him farewell as he journeys on from this place, into the next life."

Throughout her speech, Tsunade managed to keep her tears behind her eyes, something that was taking more and more effort the longer she stood in front of the people she governed.

Turning away from the people, she went forward to the coffin, taking off the hat traditionally worn by the Hokage. She motioned silently to the two ninja standing on either side of the coffin, and the reached out to gently lift the lid.

"You deserve it…gaki…" Tsunade whispered, as the body was revealed. She gently placed the hat on his head, slightly covering up the hitai-ate and his Chesnutt brown hair…

Chesnutt…brown?

Tsunade blinked. Was she hallucinating now?

Quickly she pulled back and eyelid, and was met with specifically _grey_ eyes.

Upon actually _looking_ at the motionless corpse, Tsunade noticed the _lack _of whisker like markings, the tone of skin that even in death should _not _have been that pale.

This man…was _not_ Naruto.

"YOU!" Tsunade ordered, her voice urgent, whirling around to face those who had carried "Naruto" to the gravesite. "I want all who are at least of jounin rank at the front gate in no less than five minutes!" she practically roared. "I don't care how you do it, but you are going to FIND NARUTO!"

Needing no further prompting, Kakashi, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Neji, Lee, Tenten, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, and Sasuke vanished in no more than a flicker.

The crowd was thrown into a state of shock, elation, and confusion, and the air was filled with the roaring noise of thousands of people, all asking questions and talking with each other at once. Tsunade carefully took the hitai-ate that definitely belonged to Naruto of the unknown shinobi's head, running her thumb along the familiar nicks in the metal.

"Sorry, but this isn't yours," she growled at the body, as if it could hear her.

Her mind was racing, and even as she swiftly departed for the gates, her heart ached with the tiniest bit of hope.

'_I swear, gaki…if you aren't alive by the time they find you, I'll kill you!'_

* * *

_**Hehe…so it's technically not Tuesday where I am…but its damn near close. Sorry people, but my cousin had a baby today, and well…that took up quite a lot of time! At least it's not TOO terribly late!**_

**Thanks for reading, and for all the reviews from last chapter! I really appreciate hearing from you all! If I get at least five reviews for this chapter, I'll update by Friday! **

**lol sorry I'm a review whore ^-^ **

**(btw I accept flames...but that doesn't mean I'll always take them lying down!)**

**~Ducky**


	6. Not a Chapter

_**Authors Note**_

_**Hi everyone, I realize that it is well past Friday, which was the due date for the next chapter. I'm extremely sorry that I couldn't keep up with my updates. My cousin, whom I'm very close to, had a baby recently, however, there were complications with the baby. Both my cousin and my second cousin are currently in critical condition. I won't bore you with details, but I must ask for forgiveness, because this is a stressful time for my family and me, and things like updating my fan fiction stories have taken a backseat.**_

_**Please be patient with me, I'm not quitting on the story, but it may be a few extra days until I can finish the next chapter and send it to be beta'd. Thank you all so much for your kind words and support, and I'll work to get the next chapter out as soon as possible.**_

_**I don't know when exactly it will be, but you can expect the next chapter soon enough! Any reviews are greatly appreciated and I hope no one quits the story because of this set back.**_

_**Thank you all so much!**_

_**~Karin Bo D. (aka Ducky)**_


	7. Chapter 5 Shizuka, The Silent Village

_With Konoha on the edge of war, Naruto was sent to aid an ally in a different fight, and went missing in battle. His friends are sent to find him, but what they didn't expect was to find him deaf, mute, and silent as the grave. Whoever the fool was that said "silence is golden" was sorely mistaken._

* * *

_Printed Words_

"Talking"

_"Thoughts"/ "FlashBacks"_

* * *

**The Loudest Silence**

**Chapter Four**

**Shizuka, the Silent Village**

* * *

Hundreds of miles away from the Hidden Village of the Leaf lay a vast valley, sinking deep into the earth, as if something had taken a giant scoop out of the green land. It was here that the Sasaki clan had decided to start their humble little dwelling years ago, when the odd people had decided to move away from their mother village, Konohagakure. But after a few decades, families began pouring into this new place, Shizukagakure, all of them people who had experienced hardship or loss, just wishing for a place to start over; which was exactly what the village founded by the Sasaki clan provided. Soon, the few decades the new additions to the Sasaki family spent in the quaint little ditch turned their shire into a bustling town, filled with vast structures and great opportunity for many folk.

The bigger the city got, the bigger the Sasaki clan got, whether it be through weary travelers stopping for a rest, only to fall in love with the calm and happy lifestyle the people indulged in, or from the many marriages and families having children and getting their start.

Every place you could go was crowded beyond belief. You'd be lucky to find a shop with fewer than ten people at any given time. Businesses were booming, old friends greeted each other merrily as they went about their daily routines, and to an outsider, it would be nearly impossible to tell that war had raged through the city, only weeks prior.

"This place is huge…" murmured a stunned Kiba as he tried unsuccessfully to find even the tiniest break in people as they hurried along every street. "How the hell are we supposed to find Naruto in this mass?"

"I had no idea this place would be so massive…" Sakura said apprehensively. "I thought Shizuka was a break off of people from Konoha, but this…" she waved a hand, motioning to thick mass jostling their way around the Konoha nin, "This place has near as many people as we do! They're all just…squished together!"

"Indeed, finding Naruto, _if _he's even here, may be more of a challenge than we originally thought," Kakashi said evenly, his arms crossed as he surveyed the crowds with a careful eye. "We'll split up into groups and take different areas of the city. The sooner we find Naruto, the happier we'll all be."

"Mou…are we starting _now_?" Ino said with a little whine, her exhaustion making itself evident through her voice. "We ran for two weeks straight to get here! Can't we rest for tonight? Naruto's been here for nearly two months now, one more day won't make any difference!"

"You can't know that for sure!" came Hinata's voice from the front of the group, her eyes giving the blonde girl a small glare that seemed frightening from the usually timid girl. "Every second counts in a mission, you know that!"

"Maa…Hinata's right," Kakashi said coolly, ignoring the pleading look of sympathy from the Yamanka kunoichi. "Until we can be certain of Naruto's whereabouts, we can't afford to stop any longer than is necessary."

"Then why don't we go instead of standing here like gennin," Sasuke spoke irritably, causing the copy nin's cool grey eye to slide to him appraisingly.

"I suggest we divide into three groups," Shikamaru spoke up, the usually lazy genius now alert and focused in a way he hadn't been since the end of the Fourth Shinobi War. "We'll be able to search more thoroughly that way."

"Right," Kakashi said in a commanding tone, Neji, Chouji, Kiba, and I will find the morgues and search the unidentified deceased persons lists. Lee, Tenten, Shino, and Ino will go to the hospitals and medical centers where the war victims are being treated. Hinata, Shikamaru, Sakura, and Sasuke, you four search through the streets and inns. If the casualty list was too high, some residential places may be housing incapacitated people. If by nightfall you haven't found anything, report back here, and we'll plan from there. Find Naruto…or any information on his whereabouts. And if you do see him…for god's sake, _don't let him out of your sight!"_

Eight Ninja flickered off at once, each heading to their own destinations. Hinata leaped upwards to the rooftops, byakugan activated, and Sasuke did the same with his sharingan, headed in the opposite direction. Shikamaru slipped into the flow of the crowd, already interrogating shop vendors, and Sakura turned to do the same.

An image of Naruto's smiling face flashed before her mind's eye, his ever present smile lifting the corners of his mouth, and his eyes the same color and brightness of the morning sky. Sakura closed her eyes as she allowed the image to fill her mind, and she felt her throat close in fear of what state they might find him in, if they even found him at all.

If they lost Naruto…

Sakura felt hot tears well up behind her eyes once again, but she forced them down angrily.

They _wouldn't_ lose Naruto. He was their friend…and the pillar that kept everyone together. With a new determination, Sakura turned back to glare at the mocking blue sky.

'_Don't worry Naruto…'_ she silently promised the blond in her head, _'We'll find you…just hold on!'_

* * *

It wasn't until the following day that their search brought any results.

When the dejected shinobi returned after six solid hours of searching through files and photographs, examining the hundreds of still unclaimed bodies, combing through every shop and street corner, and interrogating countless people, all of whom it seemed were to busy to provide any real help, the twelve were no closer to finding their friend. When they each shared their observations, they made an extremely unpleasant discovery.

Of the massive city that their fellow ninja had last been seen in, they had only searched a tiny fraction.

The disheartened search party forced their tired bodies up with the morning sun, and set out to begin the search anew, hopeful that _somewhere_ in the miniscule amount of ground they'd be able to search today, something…anything might point to Naruto.

To Sakura, searching through the streets was aggravating. Of all the places that she _knew_ should be combed through, this was at the bottom of her list. What were the chances of finding her former teammate like this? Wandering the streets in a random game of cat and mouse…if Naruto were here, inside this city hidden in the silence (an ironic name for the loud noises of the people crowding every section of the streets) would he really be walking the streets? If he could, Sakura had no doubt that he would return to the village, to Konoha. It was his home…_they_ were his home!

Sakura let out an angry breath of frustration after her ninth failed attempt at interrogation today. The woman working the shop hadn't said a word, only making a strange gesture with her hands before turning back to her sweeping.

"Yes…thanks for your time! You little…" Sakura grumbled angrily as she moved on from the weird woman. Closing her eyes, she brought her hands to her temples to ward off her oncoming headache. "I'm getting _nowhere_!" she groaned to herself.

Upon opening her eyes, a flash a gold assaulted her vision.

"Eh?" Sakura blinked harshly as she tried to pinpoint the source.

Off in the distance, almost completely hidden by the crowds of people walking the street, a mess of bright blond hair bobbed in and out of sight, its spikey texture sticking out in every direction.

Sakura was moving before she consciously told her feet to move.

"N-Naruto?" the strangled name came from her throat. She began to push her way through the knot of people, making painfully slow progress towards the head that was still moving away from her.

"NARUTO!" Sakura forced out, louder this time, desperate to catch the blond's attention. But the person didn't even turn their head in acknowledgement.

Her shoves became more violent and Sakura desperately tried to wade through the thick sea of people, no longer caring that they were all civilian. However, no amount of force was getting her any closer to her target.

"Oh, for god's sake! NARUTO! PLEASE WAIT!" she screamed. The only reaction she received were odd glances from some of the people around her, but the person slipped from her sight, and fear rose up in her throat to choke her.

"Oh, screw it!" she muttered venomously, and with a leap, she attached herself to the side of a building with chakra, and began to run forwards, searching for that golden blond hair that she had only ever seen on one before.

_There!_

Standing in the shade of a cart vendor's umbrella, smiling at a man who seemed to be motioning to him, Naruto was there.

_Alive_.

Happiness swelled up inside her, and, ignoring the gasps of surprise and awe of the people on the street as they saw her running sideways on buildings, she called out to her childhood friend, tears threatening to overwhelm her.

"NARUTO! YOU BAKA! UP HERE!"

The man running the stand ceased his strange movements to stare at Sakura, and Naruto turned his head as well.

Brilliantly blue eyes widened in surprise as they took in the sight of the pink haired kunoichi running towards him. A wide, shit eating grin twisted up the corners of his whiskered mouth, and then the young adult turned…

…and began to run off, dodging expertly through the crowds of people.

"…eh?" Sakura's step faltered, so surprised by the blond's sudden flight. Her confusion mounted as he turned to glance over his shoulder, sticking out a pink tongue through his teeth.

"EH?" she yelled.

She too began to run, following the future Hokage, but damn it all if he wasn't _fast_!

"Sasuke, Hinata, Shikamaru!" Sakura cried, pressing the talk button on the radio placed in her ear. "I'm in the west side of town…come now! I've spotted Naruto!"

Not bothering to wait for the replies of her teammates, Sakura pushed down her bewilderment and focused only pumping chakra into her legs to keep up with the yellow blur. Now if she could only figure out _what the hell_ was going on!

* * *

_**Hello everyone! Thank you so much for being so patient with me while things were rough! **_

_**Baby ducky and his mommy are doing just fine! His mommy and daddy can take him home for the first time in three days, and his big sister is quite excited to see the little duckling at home.**_

_**Thank you ALL for your patience and support, your prayers and well-wishes were very much appreciated! **_

_**Expect a new chapter soon! Also the reason behind Naruto's weird behavior! ^-^**_

_**~Ducky**_


	8. Chapter 6 Tag and Handgames Pt:1

_With Konoha on the edge of war, Naruto was sent to aid an ally in a different fight, and went missing in battle. His friends are sent to find him, but what they didn't expect was to find him deaf, mute, and silent as the grave. Whoever the fool was that said "silence is golden" was sorely mistaken. STRONG Naruto_

* * *

_Printed Words_

"Talking"

_"Thoughts"/ "FlashBacks" / "Radio Calls"_

* * *

**The Loudest Silence**

**Chapter 6: Pranks and Hand Games **

**Part 1**

* * *

Eyes glowing red flickered back and forth, surveying the streets below. After he received the radio message from Sakura, Sasuke had immediately abandoned his searching ground in the North and headed west, leaping from roof-top to roof-top. But after fifteen minutes, he still had seen neither hide nor pink hair of the kunoichi.

Grunting in agitated frustration, he pressed the call button on his radio.

"Sakura…what is your position, what's going on?"

There was a moment of silence from her end of the speaker, only the occasional spark of interference from other devises. . He was about to call again, when his earpiece began to crackle, Sakura's voice floating in and out through the static.

"…_saw him but-…don't know what's goi-…just took off when I spotte-…"_

"You're breaking up!" he barked harshly over the noise. "Just give me your position!"

"…_see you on the buildi-…coming up on your left!"_

Snapping to attention, he turned his head in time to see the streak of golden hair fly through street, parting the people around him like water.

"What the-?" he said in bewilderment, just long enough to see Sakura approaching the blond ninja from behind, looking rather worse for the wear.

Sasuke watched with wide and disbelieving eyes as Sakura used a burst of chakra, launching herself at Naruto. Said boy, who wasn't even _watching _for the girl, leapt high into the air, avoiding Sakura's attack with not a moment to spare, twisting his body so that he landed behind the girl. Before his feet had even touched the ground, Naruto's arms had shot out to grab Sakura around her waist. Without giving her a chance to retaliate, he had picked her up and sent her flying across the crowded street, over the heads of the people, so that she landed with a crash somewhere in an alley next to the building Sasuke stood on.

All of this had happened so quickly, that even with his sharigan activated, Sasuke had trouble following the scene.

Sasuke leapt down into the alley way, half way expecting to see the girl splattered against the wall with the force of the throw. But to his surprise, he saw her struggling her way out of a mass of garbage bags that had cushioned her ungraceful landing. Quickly grasping her flailing hand, he pulled her up out of the fowl smelling heap.

"What the hell just happened?" he growled angrily.

"I have no clue!" Sakura replied, looking irritable. "The moment he saw me coming towards him, he just took off! I've been chasing him for blocks, and he's playing dirty!" she huffed, blowing a pink piece of flyaway hair from her face.

"I can tell," Sasuke muttered, wrinkling his nose slightly at the awful stench rolling off he girl.

The glare Sakura sent him would have had most running for cover.

Ignoring her killer intent, Sasuke turned his head towards the street. Standing there, dressed in dark blue, watching the two ninja with a curious frown on his face, stood Naruto.

_Alive_.

A pressure in Sasuke's gut that he hadn't even been aware of released at the sight, only to be replaced by annoyance. The Uchiha opened his mouth to yell at the idiot, for staying missing for so long; for making the entire village panic, for making _him_, and Uchiha, panic. But something in the blond's eyes made the words freeze in his throat.

There was no recognition in those eyes.

"Dobe…" Sasuke said softly taking a tentative step towards his friend. "Naruto…do you know who I am?"

Hardly even noticing the sharp intake of breath from the kunoichi behind him, Sasuke's dark eyes watched the blond intensely, gauging his reaction.

But Naruto seemed lost in thought, his eyes staring back but not really seeing. When it became clear that he wasn't going to answer, Sasuke took another step towards him.

Snapping to attention, a mischievous gleam seemed to light up the pools of blue, and in no more than a yellow flash, Naruto had dashed off again, leaving his two former teammates in the dust.

"Oh not again!" Sakura cried with despair.

Sasuke however didn't waste a second, chasing after Naruto the moment the Uzumaki took off.

Rounding the corner, the raven haired Uchiha saw that Naruto had already made considerable ground. Not bothering to waste his time with the streets, Sasuke immediately attached himself to the side of a building, running after the war hero.

Naruto was fast; Sasuke would give him that. But with him weaving in and out of the people on the streets below, Sasuke had little trouble keeping up with him without the added obstacles. This struck Sasuke as odd. Why wouldn't the usuratonkachi use his chakra if he truly didn't want to be caught?

Pushing the confusing thought aside for later, Sasuke saw his long time rival glance over his shoulder, only to see the raven much closer than he had been anticipating.

Sasuke could almost see a devilish plan forming in the mind hidden behind blond locks of hair. Deciding to switch tactics, Sasuke put a burst of chakra into his legs, closing the already small gap between him and the blond, planning on landing in front of him to catch the idiot as he ran.

He braced himself for impact as he neared the earth. Having someone as strong as Naruto barrel into you wouldn't be pleasant to anyone. But the stoic jounin wasn't expecting Naruto to come up with retaliation.

A split second before Sasuke landed, Naruto made use of the vendors lining the streets, and shoved a melon cart in the other boy's path.

Moving too quickly to do anything but cross his arms in front of his head in a protective move, Sasuke plowed into the cart, heavy fruits tumbling over his body and causing him to stumble.

Grunting from the many bruises he now had, the Uchiha's already sour mood worsened when he was hit upside the head with a broken piece of wood.

"WHY YOU DIRTY LITTLE BRAT!" the voice of the cart vendor reverberated in his pounding head as he tried to see past the stars the collision caused.

"Get away!" Sasuke growled angrily, but he was ignored by the old man who was still screaming profanities at him while whacking away at any part of the Uchiha's body he could reach.

Angrily swatting the batty old man away without actually harming the civilian, Sasuke saw Naruto's smirking face disappear out of the corner of his eye.

Not a second later, a figure clad in light purple with long black hair swishing behind her leapt gracefully overhead, chasing after the disappearing ninja.

'_Hinata!' _Sasuke thought, and quickly made to go after her, but just then the melon vendor's wife appeared, brandishing a broom, and aiding her husband in taking the mickey out of the irritated Uchiha.

"Get the hell off me, damn it!" Sasuke hissed, trying unsuccessfully to pry the rather feisty elderly couple from his person.

Hinata however didn't pause to stop and help her fellow jounin. Pale, almost pupil-less eyes kept locked on her target, the lines from her byakugan trailing down her confused face.

Why was Naruto running? Had something terrible happened to him? What could have caused him to flee from his friends so vehemently?

The Hyuuga heiress didn't have time to ponder these questions, as the boy she chased made a sharp turn, vanishing from sight behind the cover of a large building.

Seeing his chakra with the help of her bloodline, Hinata followed the ANBU captain, landing behind him in what looked to be a deserted ally.

Landing lightly on her feet, she was surprised when Naruto stopped running and turned to face her, knowing with certainty that he couldn't have heard her landing behind him.

His shockingly blue eyes crinkled with his amusement, and he simply stood, trapped between the large brick wall of the building behind him and the girl who stood on offence.

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata stammered slightly. She began to step slowly towards him, but the second she moved, she saw his muscles tensing, preparing to leap off once again.

Pausing her advance, Hinata stopped, thinking hard.

"I'm s-sorry, Naruto-kun, but we really need to get you back to Konoha!" Hinata mumbled apologetically, and with that, the girl rushed forward.

Naruto's eyes widened in slight shock as the girl began to assault him, her hands shooting expertly towards the vulnerable points of his body, giving him barely enough time to dodge, pushing him slowly farther and farther back into the alley.

Hinata was in slight shock. She had yet to land a hit on Naruto, and while she had never been brave enough to accept more than a few invitations to spar in the past, she'd always been able to land at least a few hits on him, even if they did no real damage. But now, when she was actually trying her hardest to stop him, she could do no more than push the blond back a few steps at a time, and even that had sweat forming excessively on her brow. Then again, Naruto was usually attempting to hit her back, instead of simply dodging.

At least it seemed that Naruto's amusement had gone, and Hinata could see the devious mind of her childhood crush whirring to come up with a plan of escape. At the rate things were going, soon Naruto would be backed up against the wall, and unless, by some miracle, Hinata could keep up this fast paced assault using her family's Gentle Fist, Naruto would surly slip past her and run off once again.

Taking a leaf from the blond's own book, Hinata tried doing something more unpredictable, shooting out her leg and sweeping it to try and catch him off guard while his attention was occupied by yet another jab at his gut.

Unfortunately, the clever eyes noticed the double attack just in time, springing into the air to avoid both hits. Using his inability to change direction in the air, Hinata brought her hand up, aiming for a point at the base of the blond's spine, that would cause a temporary paralysis and would give her the advantage.

But for the first time since their fight had began, Naruto acted offensively, swinging out his own fist to intercept the attacking girl's. His partial attack worked, diverting her jab so that it missed his body, but the momentum of the girls thrust, still having met no resistance, sent her tumbling forward, right towards Naruto's right hand…

…which landed directly on the Hyuuga's breasts, catching the girl from falling to the ground.

A moment of stillness passed as both ninja's realized exactly what was being touched.

With a squeak of embarrassment, Hinata stumbled backwards out of the taller man's grasp, a faint reddish glow lighting up her face.

A look of dawning crossed Naruto's face, but it was quickly replaced by a wicked grin.

Hinata's pale eyes widened in confusion at the sudden change in the blond's face, and the blue eyes that held hers had her frozen where she stood. He looked like a fox, dangerously stalking towards it's prey. Suddenly, he flashed forwards, faster than Hinata cold blink, and before she could draw back, before she could come to her senses, Naruto leaned forwards, planting a chaste kiss on the tip of her nose.

Hinata was unconscious before she hit the ground, her face burning bright red.

* * *

_**Lol Hinata XD btw this doesn't mean this will be a Naru/Hina pairing...not that i don't like the pairing, but I don't think I want a pairing for this story...I didn't plan for one anyway. **_

_**well I wasn't going to stop here originally, but I think I'll make this chapters into two parts, seeing as its taking quite a while to get this chapter out :p**_

_**So sorry about that.**_

_**Anyways thanks everyone for the concern about baby ducky! I actually was with him today! He slept in my arms wile I was typing...the cute little bugger. **_

_**Thanks for all your reviews and messages! **_

_**~Ducky**_


	9. Chapter 6 Tag and Handgames Pt:2

_With Konoha on the edge of war, Naruto was sent to aid an ally in a different fight, and went missing in battle. His friends are sent to find him, but what they didn't expect was to find him deaf, mute, and silent as the grave. Whoever the fool was that said "silence is golden" was sorely mistaken. STRONG Naruto_

* * *

_Printed Words_

"Talking"

_"Thoughts"/ "FlashBacks" / "Radio Calls"_

* * *

**The Loudest Silence**

**Chapter 6: Pranks and Hand Games**

**Part 2**

* * *

The blond haired young man stared down at the fallen girl, an amused grin dominating his tan features. Kneeling down in front of her, he carefully moved the unconscious female to the side of the ally, well out of the way of anyone who might think to take advantage of her in her defenseless state.

Smiling apologetically over his shoulder at the sleeping girl, he slunk out of the ally, intending to be swept away by the current of people that cruised the streets. But no sooner had he merged with the sea of people, then the pink haired girl from earlier stood in his path, looking angry, and he didn't blame the girl.

He'd be pretty angry if he smelled like that too.

A thrill of excitement shot through his veins, adrenalin stimulating an instinct of fight or flight, and

the chase began once again.

Dodging around the people who lined the streets, the trickster vanished once more behind the people, sending Sakura into an even bigger rage than before.

"_NARUTO!"_ she yelled, uncaring at the odd stares she was receiving. She charged forwards, knowing full well that she'd never be able to outrun him on foot. It seemed she'd need a bit more strategy if she were to catch her vivacious friend.

Quickly scaling up the side of a building, Sakura watched the blond head of hair as he ran, following from a distance, just enough to keep him in her sights. If she could fool him into thinking he'd gotten away, she could ambush him. From experience, she knew that one well-aimed punch could knock him out for a bit, long enough to get Kakashi and the others.

Up ahead there was a break in the tall buildings, and Sakura watched as Naruto slowed down and entered the enclosure.

'_A playground?'_ Sakura thought bewilderedly to herself. _'What on earth is he doing there?'_

As she slowed, she saw the numerous children run up to the blond, some shouting their excitement at seeing him. He crouched down, his back towards the silently approaching Sakura, and allowed the children to surround him, all leaning forwards as if he was telling them something.

Sakura, trying to stay out of his line of sight, snuck forward, attempting to hear what he was saying.

Suddenly the children broke out in huge grins, nodding their heads in excitement, and Sakura frowned.

She hadn't heard a word…and from this distance, she should have been able to hear at least _something_.

She was so puzzled, that she didn't notice when he stood, blue eyes glinting maliciously. When he finally caught her gaze, Sakura's eyes widened. _'He sensed me all along?'_

Naruto simply raised his hand, pointing silently at her, and with a roar, the children swarmed her, jumping on her from all sides and tackling her to the ground. Sakura couldn't get them off her, as soon as she detached one clinging child, two more seemed to arrive out of nowhere to leech on her, and the poor girl had no way of breaking free without harming the children.

Silent laughter shook the blond shoulders as he watched with amusement, and he decided it was time to vanish before things got out of hand.

Turning to see a furious looking raven with a smart looking bruise on the side of his face told him that he might have already reached that point.

If Sakura had been pissed of before, it was nothing compared to the raging anger of the Uchiha who now stood with a fierce glint in his eye.

Sasuke glared at his former teammate, noticing with displeasure that the eighteen year old's posture seized up again, preparing to flee.

"Now, Shikamaru!" Sasuke yelled, and from the opposite side of the playground crouched down in the shadows, the hidden Nara made a fast hand seal, causing a shadow to shoot out along the ground towards his target.

Naruto didn't seem to notice it at all, and kept his eyes trained on the onyx gaze holding his.

With a smirk of triumph Sasuke rushed forwards towards the blond that was now frozen in place.

The blond attempted to move as soon as he saw his attacker coming forward, but realized too late that he was being held by something. Blue eyes widened with shock as the Uchiha came closer, and he did the only thing he knew to do when a kick came swinging down towards his face.

His head ducked, narrowly missing the sandaled foot, and leaning quickly to the side he avoided a jab to the throat. With a grunt of frustration, Sasuke launched a set of taijutsu attacks against the imprisoned man, but all his attacks were dodged or countered.

After a minute, Sasuke took a step back, glaring angrily at the still stuck blond, who seemed quite as bewildered as Sasuke felt. A frown marred the tan face as he took in Sasuke's confusion, and gave a feeble shrug of his shoulders.

Sasuke let out a very _un-Uchiha-like_ growl, aimed a swift kick once more at the feet that couldn't move.

The blond moved on instinct, and with a fist aimed at the other male's unprotected stomach, his opponent was sent flying back, his back slamming against a brick wall. Sasuke slid to the ground, trying to blink stars from his eyes, and if he hadn't known better, he would have thought he'd just been slugged by the Godaime herself.

The blond stared wide-eyed at his opponent. _That_ certainly hadn't been expected. He figured that was his cue to leave, but found his feet still glued to the ground. Looking around at the shadow surrounding his feet, he twisted his body, following the shadow to it's origin, and saw the spikey haired ninja crouching in the shadows, eyes wide.

Shikamaru was stunned. Naruto had fought of the prodigy Uchiha…_without_ the use of his lower body. Shockingly blue eyes locked with his, and Naruto cocked a golden eyebrow at him.

Shikamaru raised his hands in a surrendering manner, releasing the justsu and freeing the blond.

Naruto took off instantly, darting off around a corner and out of sight.

Shikamaru watched him go with a sigh of, "Troublesome," shoving his hands in his pockets as he sauntered over to where Sasuke was still trying to get his bearings.

"You let him get away!" Sasuke raved at the brunet, attempting to stand, but he quickly began to wobble, and used the wall to support himself. "You _idiot_! You had him trapped in your jutsu! Why did you let him go!"

"Like we were getting anywhere!" the lazy genius replied coolly.

"Now we're further than we were!" Sasuke shot back. "Now we'll have to find him all over again!"

"Do you really think I'm _that_ stupid?" Shikamaru said, sounding slightly offended. "I managed to put a tracking seal on his clothes before I released the jutsu. We should group back with Hinata and Sakura, and then we can go find him, hopefully without all these dramatics!"

Sasuke scowled and stood up straight, holding his aching head with one hand. A brief snort of laughter caused Sasuke to snap his head up to look a Shikamaru's smirking face.

"Naruto kicked your _ass_," he drawled, a humorous glint in his eye. .

Shikamaru turned away before he received the full force of the infamous Uchiha glare.

"At least I didn't surrender like a coward," Sasuke bit out, but if the other boy had heard him, he showed no signs of it.

* * *

"How on earth did he knock you out, Hinata?" asked Sakura a little while later.

After bribing Naruto's small minions with sweets to release their pink haired teammate, though they couldn't be convinced to answer any questions about their "leader," Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Sakura found Hinata in an alley way, slumped against the wall and out for the count. It had taken quite some time to revive her as well.

Hinata blushed scarlet, turning her head towards the ground and mumbling something incoherent, causing Sakura eye the girl questioningly.

"We're almost there," Shikamaru cut in, saving the stuttering girl from answering. "The seal is glowing red."

The group looked down at the circular markings on the slip of paper that Shikamaru held. It was something designed by Naruto, simple in concept but brilliant nonetheless. The user simply had to place an identical seal on the target they wished to track, and with a minimal amount of chakra, the jutsu would be in effect. When the two twin seals drew near to each other, the original would begin to glow red. The closer they are, the brighter the glow, the further, the dimmer; like a child's game, the user played "hot and cold" with their target until their location was identified.

The seal leading them to their friend, which had shone orange before, now glowed with a dim red light, signaling that they were drawing nearer.

Four pairs of eyes began to scan the area, taking in even the smallest detail as they had been trained to all their life. It was Hinata that spotted what they were looking for.

"G-guys…" she said quietly, pointing a small finger at the largest building in the vicinity.

A red cross hung above the doorway, identifying it as a medical building. The sign on the building read,

_CENTER FOR THE SILENT_

"Shikamaru?" Sakura asked, eying the building warily.

The lazy genius took a few steps towards the building, and the seal became a bright red.

"Looks like it," he responded.

The four Konoha shinobi proceeded forward cautiously, unsure of what might await them inside. Thought whatever they had been expecting, it certainly wasn't what they saw.

The name of the building seemed like a sort of ironic joke upon opening the double doors.

Children of all different ages ran around in every which direction, shrieking and making odd uncultured sounds. There were adults too, many standing in groups, both young and old. Some, who obviously worked there due to the blue and grey uniforms they donned, chased after the children pulling them down from the furniture and guiding some of the more elderly. There was so many people doing different things, even a pair of elderly men playing shoji in a corner, but none seemed the least bit bothered by the immense noise, something that the four ninja could not claim.

"Center for the silent?" Sakura asked, trying desperately to make her voice heard over the din of yells as she pressed her hands to her ears in a attempt to protect her hearing. "What in the world is silent about this!"

"Over there!" Sasuke said suddenly, ignoring the overwhelming sounds and the girl's complaints.

There, coming from around the corner, being chased by no less the twenty children, sprinted the blue eyed blond, a broad smile on his whiskered face.

"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled over the head of the people. Her call went unrecognized as no one in the large room even turned to look at her.

Sasuke was already crossing the room, striding swiftly towards him with the others close on his heels.

"Oi! Dobe!" Sasuke barked angrily right behind him, but still he didn't turn around. "Idiot!" the raven snarled, "I'm talking to you!"

Placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder, he spun him around to face him. Blue eyes widened almost comically at the sight of his previous pursuers, and slowly, a sheepish grin stretched across his face in answer to the angry looks he received from two of the group. One hand rose automatically to scratch at the back of his head, and with the other, he gave a small wave from his head.

Sasuke wasn't impressed. "Why were you running from us before?"

Naruto frowned, cocking his head to the side slightly. He brought up a fist to his chest, making a quick circular motion before tapping two fingers together. He pointed to his ear, and then gestured at his throat.

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. The gestures didn't seem random, almost somewhat familiar…

"Naruto…what on earth are you doing?" Sakura asked exasperatedly, having exhausted all of her patience already.

Naruto looked just as confused as they were. He repeated the tapping motion with his fingers, pointing to his ear and throat, slower this time.

Shikamaru's mind clicked. His eyes grew wide with shock as he put together the pieces of the puzzle in his head, and his mouth fell open, too much in shock to explain to the already angry Uchiha.

"Stop fooling around! Tell us what happened to you!" he shouted angrily, but instead of the answers he wanted, Naruto simply narrowed his eyes, returning the glare with one of his own.

"Oh, he can't hear you dear!" said a plump nurse passing by cheerfully.

"W-what?" Hinata asked, shocked.

"I said he can't hear what you're saying," the motherly woman spoke, a twinge of sadness in her voice. "This poor one's been through the ringer. He was one of the men caught in the explosion at the war shelters…I'm afraid it cost him his hearing."

* * *

_**Heeey…its been a while! I'm really sorry, no excuse but my extreme laziness. **_

_**Thanks so much for reading! See you all soon!**_

_**~Ducky**_


	10. Chapter 7 Nice to Meet You

_With Konoha on the edge of war, Naruto was sent to aid an ally in a different fight, and went missing in battle. His friends are sent to find him, but what they didn't expect was to find him deaf, mute, and silent as the grave. Whoever the fool was that said "silence is golden" was sorely mistaken. STRONG Naruto_

* * *

_Printed Words_

"Talking"

_"Thoughts"/ "FlashBacks" / "Radio Calls"/ "Written Words"  
_

* * *

**The Loudest Silence**

**Chapter 7: Nice To Meet You, Your Name's Naruto**

* * *

_LAST TIME: _

_Naruto looked just as confused as they were. He repeated the tapping motion with his fingers, pointing to his ear and throat, slower this time._

_Shikamaru's mind clicked. His eyes grew wide with shock as he put together the pieces of the puzzle in his head, and his mouth fell open, too much in shock to explain to the already angry Uchiha._

_"Stop fooling around! Tell us what happened to you!" he shouted angrily, but instead of the answers he wanted, Naruto simply narrowed his eyes, returning the glare with one of his own._

_"Oh, he can't hear you dear!" said a plump nurse passing by cheerfully._

_"W-what?" Hinata asked, shocked._

_"I said he can't hear what you're saying," the motherly woman spoke, a twinge of sadness in her voice. "This poor one's been through the ringer. He was one of the men caught in the explosion at the war shelters…I'm afraid it cost him his hearing."_

The Konoha shinobi didn't speak, too stunned to say anything.

"You wouldn't happen to know who he is?" the woman asked hopefully. "He hasn't got a clue where he's from. He seems to unconsciously channel his chakra, so we're fairly certain he's a ninja. Honestly, we're just hoping he was fighting on our side. He didn't have any sort of identification on him, so we're not sure if he's a member of the Iwa troops or not. Goodness, I hope not," she said, and her eyes flickered to the boy who was looking at them all with a confused and slightly frustrated face, trying to comprehend what was being said. "He's such a sweetheart, and the children just love him! I'd hate to think he was part of that cowardly attack."

"Y-You're lying…" Sakura's voice trembled, and tears pricked uncomfortably behind her jade green eyes. "T-Tell her, Naruto, tell her she's got it wrong!" she said almost desperately, turning to face her best friend. "You know who I am, right? You couldn't forget me, could you? We were on the same team, after all! Everything we went through together! Tell her, Naruto!" by the end of her rant, her voice had become slightly hysterical, and it took all of the pink girl's effort not to cling onto the front of his shirt, just to keep him from slipping away.

But the blond didn't speak. His eyes grew large at the sight of Sakura's breakdown, but the confusion churning in those blue orbs only intensified.

Suddenly Shikamaru stepped forward, and he put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, making the blonde face him. Raising a single hand, Shikamaru held up his index finger, with thee remaining fingers touching his thumb. Almost immediately he moved his hand again so that it was turned to the side, and all four fingers touched his thumb.

Immediately, Sasuke understood what the Nara was doing. "He's…spelling something," he said aloud, making Sakura and Hinata's eyes widen while the matron beamed at the lazy ninja in an approving manner.

Shikamaru however didn't cease his movements, and he continued to make different, deliberate signs with his hands, one after another in sequence, and Naruto was suddenly looking alert as he followed the movements with rapt attention.

Soon the movements ceased, and Naruto looked up in to Shikamaru's eyes and shook his head.

"W-what did you say to him?" Hinata asked timidly.

"I said, 'Do you know who we are,'" Shikamaru answered her, but at the same time Naruto began to make similar signs with his hand.

"He said 'Who are you?'" Shikamaru told the three other Konoha nin as he began to sign something back to Naruto.

"What are you telling him now?" Sakura asked, trying to follow the hand movements but failing to make any sense of it.

"W-E A-R-E Y-O-U-R F-R-I-E-N-D-S," Shikamaru spelled aloud with the movement of his hand.

Naruto's eyes lit up in excitement, and with a beaming smile he turned to the nurse and began making hasty movements with both his hands to her, making her laugh in amusement.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Sasuke asked, eyes narrowing at the Nara.

"During the fourth Shinobi war," Shikamaru sighed as he looked at Naruto who kept pointing in their direction as he continued to sign to the matron "There were a couple of people from the Sasaki clan, and I noticed one of them using hand signs to communicate with the other. The people of the Sasaki clan have a hereditary disorder that affects about half of its members, leaving them deaf. So they use a form of sign language to communicate with each other. They taught me the basics during one of the inactive moments between attacks."

"Then how does Naruto know it?" Sakura asked with confusion. "He's never mentioned something like this before."

"He picked it up on his own," the matron said, drawing her attention back to the young shinobi. "We taught him how to spell words using signs, and after that he just followed us around in turns, picking up bits and pieces. He's very clever," she said, giving the blond an affectionate smile.

"Can't he still speak?" Sakura questioned her, going into medic mode. "Even if he can't hear, he shouldn't have lost the ability to utilize language."

"When we found him, there was debris sticking through his throat," the woman answered her, the smile disappearing from her face. "Took a good four hours in surgery to remove it all. It destroyed his vocal chords, and delivered severe damage to his trachea. He had to breath through a hole in his throat for about a week. To be completely honest, he shouldn't have been able to survive wounds that extensive," her voice lowered, and she glanced nervously at Naruto, who was inspecting the different Konoha members curiously. "But he healed right up in to time at all! It was…incredible!"

"Th-that's Naruto-Kun…" Hinata murmured, a blush staining her cheeks when she realized she had spoken aloud.

"At first we assumed he was a civilian," the matron continued, her tone becoming more cheerful as her explanation strayed from her sunny patient's critical condition. "But after he started controlling chakra naturally, we knew that he'd been trained as a ninja."

"But if he was channeling chakra, then why didn't he use it when we were chasing him earlier?" Sakura wondered aloud, and it was Shikamaru who answered.

"When Uchiha and I had him cornered earlier, he sent a pretty power-packed punch into Sasuke's jaw," he said, ignoring the icy glare sent not so discreetly his way. Sakura and Hinata however looked at him disbelievingly. "What? Didn't you see the bruise on pretty-boy's face?" he said, raising a lazy eyebrow, and Sasuke scowled and turned his head away when the three women turned to look at him, Naruto following their example.

"We checked through all the lists of ninja in our village, though there aren't very many," the woman continued to explain to Shikamaru. "We hit a dead end there pretty quickly. Some thought that he must have been a member of the Fujiwara, but his characteristics are completely off. Besides…he's been so good to the children around here that the police were reluctant to lock him up on suspicions they couldn't even prove."

"So he's got no voice, no hearing, and no memory?" Sasuke stated aloud, looking at Naruto with an unreadable look. "Fantastic," he muttered sarcastically.

"So w-what do we do?" asked Hinata timidly as Naruto began to circle the four and inspecting them all closely, beginning with the shy Hyuuga heiress.

"We bring him back to Konoha!" Sakura said instantly. "Its his home…whether he remembers us or not!"

"So he's a ninja of Konoha?" the matron asked, surprised. "But I thought the only one to come from Konoha was the young jinchuuriki?"

"He was," Shikamaru answered her. "Our Hokage received word that he had died, but there was a small mix-up. The body sent to us was not that of Uzumaki Naruto, but of a still yet to be identified person. We've been searching for the real Naruto for about a week now, and, well…" he trailed of, his eyes sliding smoothly to the blonde who was now looking curiously at Sakura. "It looks like we've found him."

Naruto seemed to be fixed on Sakura, and for a moment he gave her an appraising look. All of a sudden, a large grin spread across his features, and he moved quickly over to a near by table.

"Oh! You mean that he's the poor boy who stopped the Fujiwara's attack?" the woman gasped, her eyes growing wide. "Oh my…" she murmured, covering her mouth with her hand. "All this time, he's been poked and interrogated…when he's the one we should be thanking!"

Naruto returned to the group, a small pad of paper held in one hand, and a pen gripped in the other. For a moment he stood, jotting at the paper and ignoring Sakura's bewildered look as he stood in front of her. With a satisfied smile, Naruto's shining blue eyes looked up into Sakura's, and he proudly help up the pad for her to read.

"_Hair pink as roses," _Sakura began to read aloud, squinting slightly in confusion at the messy scrawl. _"Unlike any other…Oh won't you please…be my lover?"_

There was a moment of absolute silence as no one moved, Sakura with her face slightly hidden to the others, Naruto waiting expectantly with a smile still stretched across his face, and the other Konoha shinobi standing in shock, just _waiting_ for what they knew to be coming.

"_Naruto_…" came the trembling voice as Sakura's clenched fist began to shake. "YOU BAKA!" she exploded, her hand flying towards his head in a punch meant to knock him clean into yesterday.

But to everyone's surprise, the hit never connected like it normally would. The blond backed away just in time, narrowly avoiding Sakura's swing, which sent her off balance and she stumbled nearly falling to the floor.

Naruto hastily hid behind the matron as he flipped to a new page in the notebook, scribbling again on the page. Holding it up as he peered from behind the stout woman, the others read the short message.

'_Never mind, pinky!'_

Sakura had to be restrained by both Hinata and Sasuke to keep her from attacking Naruto who stayed behind the woman, his eyes seeming to laugh mischievously as he watched the pink girl's rage.

"Is there any chance that he will recover what he's lost?" Shikamaru asked the woman, ignoring his temporary teammates.

"Honestly dear, it's hard for me to say," the woman said, still looking somewhat anxiously at the blond Uzumaki. "If he was like any other patient, I'd tell you no. But then again, if he _was_ any other patient, he wouldn't be alive. He's a walking miracle, this one. I suppose it isn't much of a stretch for him to regain his hearing and his voice. As for his memory…well. The brain is a tricky thing, and I won't pretend to know much about that," she said seriously. "I treat the body, but not the mind."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed in concern. This was really a disaster. After all of his hard work and determination, Naruto had finally become the man he'd always dreamed of being, and the whole village was ready to call him their Hokage. But without his hearing and without his memories, it was like all that progress had been lost.

"Sakura," the brunette called to the still bristling girl. "What do you know about head injuries?"

"Tsunade-sama went over some of the basics with me once," Sakura muttered, becoming a bit more somber again. "Sometimes the part of the brain that holds memories temporarily shuts down, and in some cases it can be brought back….but it all depends. Tsunade-sama would be able to tell. Though if it is possible, we'd need to surround Naruto with things that would be familiar to him. Photographs, stories…surroundings…" she trailed off, her eyes glancing at Naruto who had moved from his safety behind the nurse.

He stood once again in front of Sakura, Sasuke, and Hinata, and brought the notepad back up to his face as he wrote intently. Turning the paper back around, he shoved the pad into Hinata's face this time.

It was clearly the same page from before, but the first line had been crossed out. Now it read, _"Hair long and silken…unlike any other…Oh won't you please…be my lover?"_

Hinata turned a brilliant shade of red as a terrified squeak slipped past her lips. The poor girl didn't have time to react however as the matron swiftly intervened, grabbing the blond's ear and pulling him back with a sharp tug. Naruto made a show of looking hurt at the matron's actions, but the woman seemed to know better than to fall for his act, as she only gave him a stern look. When his theatrics were lost on her, Naruto just gave her a fox like smile.

"Honestly…" she muttered to herself, shaking her head at the young man's antics. "I suppose this means you'll be taking him back to Konoha," she said, turning her attention back to the shinobi.

"Yes," Shikamaru answered her. "Konoha was…_is_ his home. And god knows we need the troublesome guy," he sighed the last bit, rubbing an old pain in the back of his neck.

The nurse nodded and smiled, but there was a small look of sadness behind her eyes as she turned back to Naruto. She began signing to him again, and the three all looked at Naruto, wondering how the blond without his memories would react.

His blue eyes grew a bit in shock as the matron continued to address him, presumably telling him that he was leaving. He glanced around at the ninja before locking eyes with Shikamaru.

"_N-O-W?"_ Shikamaru translated aloud with Naruto's spelling fingers, a questioning and slightly nervous look in the blond's eye.

"No," Sasuke spoke up suddenly from the back of the group, for a brief moment, his eyes flickered to the blond, before they quickly turned away again, determinedly looking anywhere but at Naruto."We'll find the rest of our team and return here tomorrow."

The matron began to translate the Uchiha's words into this purely visual language, and Naruto's shoulders seemed to relax a little. This didn't go unnoticed by the four, and the small movement was a depressing reminder that even though they'd found Naruto, their friend was still lost to them.

Naruto turned back to look at the ninja, a small smile stretching one corner of his mouth. The blond gave them a nod as if to agree, but in his eyes was still uncertainty.

Shikamaru released a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding, relieved that they wouldn't have to do much convincing to bring the blond back to Konoha. "Then I guess we'll get out of your hair, then. You've certainly got you're hands full," he said to the matron, glancing around quickly at the chaos of the medical center.

"Yes of course," she said cheerfully, but her smile was slightly tainted by sadness, and the Konoha shinobi knew instantly why.

Naruto had the strong tendency to grow on people, after all.

With the objective of determining Naruto's safety completed, Sasuke nodded curtly at the blond before heading towards the door, again carefully avoiding Naruto's still curious eyes. The shy Hyuuga heiress gave Naruto a short bow and a timid smile, which he returned, that nearly had her red all over again before she followed after Sasuke.

Sakura stood for a moment as she looked at Naruto. Her knuckle-headed teammate, Konoha's number one most unpredictable ninja, and the single constant in her life since their gennin days together. Except now…now he didn't have all those memories that he used to value so much. He looked the same…he even acted the same. But somehow…he wasn't _Naruto_, anymore. Tears threatening to take over her again, Sakura reached forwards and hugged him, fearful that she would lose even more of him if she didn't.

"We'll bring you back, Naruto," Sakura whispered the words she knew he wouldn't hear into his ear. She felt a hesitant hand come up to rest on her shoulder in response to her embrace, and she pulled back with a smile, hiding the hurt that she felt that he didn't remember his best friend.

Shikamaru watched the others say their goodbyes, and felt his frustration at the entire situation as Sakura left, barely holding in her grief. Looking down, Shikamaru clapped his hand firmly on the jinchuuriki's shoulder, turning to follow the others out the door, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

The blond pulled out the notepad again, and hastily wrote something on it. He gave the paper and pen to Shikamaru when he'd finished, a question burning in his eyes.

"_So, what's my name?" _it read.

It was like he'd received a dull blow to his gut as he remembered a younger, troublesome boy, yelling out his name for all to hear. Shikamaru carefully wrote the answer at the bottom of the page before handing it back to him.

The blond stared at the name intensely as the spikey haired young man left with the other Konoha shinobi, and despite all of the day's heavy developments, he couldn't help a small smile despite himself. A piece of his identity had been returned to him…he had a name.

He stared at the paper, and wished more than ever that he could speak his name aloud.

He was _Uzumaki __Naruto_.

* * *

_**Sorry its been so long, if you've looked at my profile recently or if you follow any of my other stories, you know why. Too tired to write it again, so I'm just copy and pasting it below.**_

**Hi...so I'm in the Hospital. Yea...scary stuff. I'm not sure what's wrong with me, but I'm asleep like all the time now, and I'm just a little bit scared, so...sorry that my stories aren't being updated! I work on them when I can, but updating fanfiction isn't high on my priority list right now. I'm not quitting, so keep reading! I'm working on getting everything caught up so...please bear with me for a little while!**

**Thanks bunches!**

_**~Ducky**_


End file.
